Nitish's decision on partial liquor ban an April fool's joke:

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's decision to ban country-made liquor while allowing foreign liquor in the state from next month is like an April fool's joke played on people, BJP ally Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) leader Jitan Ram Manjhi said today.
"The day Nitish Kumar announced that there will be prohibition on country-made and spiced liquor in the state from April 1 but sale of Indian-made foreign liquor will continue, I thought he (Kumar) may be subjecting people to April fool (joke)," Manjhi told reporters.
Slamming the decision of the grand secular alliance government on liquor ban, the former Chief Minister of the state, said "This is double standard policy of the government."

Manjhi, a protege turned enemy of Kumar, asked the CM to make an announcement on International Women's Day on March 8 to completely ban liquor be it country-made or any foreign brand citing that "incidents of domestic violence and rape occurs under the influence of liquor."
"If Nitish Kumar announces a complete 'prohibition' in the state on International Women's Day on March 8, I will welcome the decision," Manjhi said.
(REOPENS CAL 6)

In the interest of women, children, the state government can forego the amount of Rs 4,000 crore that accrue from the sale of liquor, both country-made and foreign.

"Money is not a problem for the government and there are other source of increasing its revenue...If the state government is able to tighten the noose against the illegal mining in the state, the government would be able to save between Rs 40,000 crore to Rs 50,000 crore," Manjhi said.
Manjhi, a prominent Dalit leader, favoured giving
reservation in promotions for SC and ST and asked the Nitish government to file an appeal in the Supreme Court against Patna High Court's recent directive which ruled otherwise.
"The government should engage top lawyers to put its view in the apex court so that justice could be done to the people of SC and ST...The government could not place its view point effectively in the high court," he said.

In reply to a question, the HAM (S) chief said that his party would certainly participate and contest six-phase assembly elections in neighbouring West Bengal.
"We have an eye on Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. But UP election is far away, so our party will certainly be contesting elections in West Bengal," he said adding, "it is not clear whether or not we will have any alliance or will go alone and it is also not yet clear on how many seats we will be contesting."
It may be noted that HAM(S) had contested 20 out of 243 seats in Bihar assembly in alliance with BJP, LJP and RLSP but was routed in the polls with HAM(S) chief Manjhi unable to open account for the party.

Manjhi, who contested from two seats, won from Imamganj assembly seat in Gaya by defeating the then Speaker Uday Narain Choudhary.
Meanwhile, HAM(S) spokesman Danish Rizwan said that the party has extended its full support to Nalanda bandh call given by BJP tomorrow to put pressure on government for the arrest of Raj Ballabh Yadav who is facing rape charge with a minor of Nalanda district.